Boca High Teacher Could Lose His License

A longtime teacher at Boca Raton High School could lose his license and his job, largely because of allegations of improper conduct with students 19 years ago.

The state education commissioner and an administrative law judge both have recommended that Michael Holland's teaching license be revoked. Holland then likely would lose his job at Boca Raton High, where he has taught for 22 years. He teaches regular and Advanced Placement psychology.

The state Education Standards Commission is to make a decision at a May 5 meeting in Tampa.

Holland, 52, was suspended for 10 days in March 2003 after a female student accused him of hugging her and rubbing her shoulders inappropriately the previous fall. Holland denied the allegation. The School Board approved the suspension, despite pleas from numerous students and parents who described him as a caring teacher who never acted irresponsibly with students.

By law, the district had to turn the case over to the state, which investigates whether a teacher's license should be revoked.

State officials dug deeper into Holland's background.

They learned that at the end of the 1985-86 school year, he invited four female graduating seniors to dinner at a Boca Raton restaurant where he bought them alcohol, according to a state report.

Holland said the incident happened eight to 10 days after they graduated, while a lawyer for the Department of Education said it happened after the students finished classes for the year but before their graduation ceremony.

Two girls, 17 and 18, went back to his home, the report states. The students reported that both were in his bed with him at the same time, and the 17-year-old had sex with him, according to the report.

Holland acknowledges that he acted inappropriately with the 17-year-old but denied they engaged in sex. An administrative law judge said there was not convincing evidence that Holland engaged in sex with the girl.

"I made a horrible mistake in judgment," Holland said Thursday. "It was an unintended situation. Alcohol was involved, and things got carried away."

Neither girl reported the incident for seven years. Then in 1993, the husband of one the women involved reported it to the school district, which turned the case over to the Boca Raton Police Department.

Police also learned that another female student, also a graduating senior, claimed to have had a romantic relationship with Holland during the 1985-86 school year and the following summer. An administrative law judge said there was insufficient evidence to prove an improper relationship.

A police report from 1993 said investigators lacked the information needed to file charges against Holland. A 1993 school district investigation resulted in no discipline, Holland said.

The Department of Education was unaware of these allegations until two years ago, when the most recent accusations surfaced, said Charles Whitelock, a lawyer for the state. The department conducted its own investigation, interviewing the women, who are now in their mid-30s.

Then-Florida Education Commissioner Jim Horne determined last summer that there was sufficient evidence to revoke Holland's license. Holland appealed to an administrative law judge, who in February ruled in favor of the Department of Education.

"This is pretty egregious conduct, and there's a pattern here," Whitelock said. "Students trust their teachers, and when you violate that trust, you forfeit your right to be a teacher."

Boca Raton High Principal Geoff McKee declined to comment.

But just as in 2003, Holland has many supporters. Many students and parents spoke on his behalf at an August hearing and are writing state officials urging them not to revoke his license.

Audrey Chayet's daughter recently attended Boca Raton High School and took three semesters of psychology classes from Holland. He also was her golf coach and has been invited to their house.

"I trust him with my daughter and with her friends, 100 percent," she said.

Scott Travis can be reached at stravis@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6637.